Grand Canyon

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

It was either May 1994 or 1995 that an article showed up in EN that said "yes, you
can ride you own  horse in the Grand Canyon"  by Eldon Bowman.  He lives in
Flagstaff....

I saw the article and was going to the Pan Am anyway, so we drug two horse out west
and played.. For details:

You need no permit or reservation...at least not then.  Go the the Back Country
office to get a ranger to unlock the gate to the horse camp (yes there is one, but
not much room.  I know the rig I have today would not have gotten in).  As long as
you are not planning  on spending the night at the bottom, they don't care.  You
don't even have to leave you name and next of kin with anybody. We got there in the
afternoon, set up camp (yes they have running water and flush toilet - they also
have a few steel corrals and hitching rails...not very horse friendly, tho) and rode
to the entrance to Bright Angel trail.

I had NO idea of what I was in for...and just SEEING this trail, I said no way!!!
Scarey...narrow trail, tons of people, no guardrail...one bad step and that's all
she wrote...

We had called Eldon Bowman and he offered to guide us down..we tried to call when we
got there, but the cell phone would not work and we were too far farm a phone.  He
came the next morning and convinced us we would be okay...just follow him.  He rode
a 26 year old Morgan and lead a 22 year old QH...just in case....

I am TERRIFIED of heights...  I got vertigo and almost passed out, but kept talking
to myself and somehow stayed in the saddle... I may also say I rode ready to jump
off at any moment... I was riding my 6 year old arab mare who I cannot get within
100 yards of a backpacker on a trail at home.  She was great...never batted an
eyelash.., even when these strange people with packs on their back spread-eagled
against the wall of the canyon trail to let us pass (you must stay by the edge of
the trail, but you do have the right of way).

Eldon knew the trail....he took us down South Kaibob which has no water (who needs
water on the way down).  BUT, it is certainly NOT designed for horses...VERY narrow
on many places...switchback turns that barely give the horse room the maneuver...
in some spots there were steps and drops of 100's of feet on each side. And then
there are the mule trains.... You have right of way over people, but the mule trails
have right of way over you.  Parts of the trail are so narrow there is NO way to
turn around or turn back.  Eldon knew the schedule and knew the safe places to get
off trail.  There are several plateaus on the way down with facilities.... that
helped us all.

As you near the Colorado River, you must ride through a tunnel that is barely wide
enough for you and your horse...once you're in, you are committed... when you reach
the other side there is a bridge 70 feet above the water...no turning back, you MUST
go over this bridge.  But, I will say, the floor is rubber matted and the sides are
6 feet high.  My horses were great.

If you ever go, bring cash...there is a restaurant at Phantom Ranch and you can buy
souvenirs such as postcards that say "mailed by mule from the bottom of the Grand
Canyon (EVERYTHING is brought in and out by mule or raft) and BEER...which I NEVER
drink, but I sure needed one then!!!!

We went back up the Bright Angle Trail which has plenty of water.  I was surprised
to see so much GREEN on the way up.  There is also another nice rest area on the way
up with hitching rails and facilities.  It was more than awesome to look UP and be
bewildered as to just HOW one was going to scale those cliffs.  I wish I knew the
history of this trail, how it was planned and who cut it...

The trip down and back was about 25 miles.  I took us nine hours (with a one hour
stop at Phantom Ranch).  It was about 65 at the top and 110 at the bottom...dress in
layers and wear a hat!!!! I have loads of wonderful photos all the way down and back
(from the brave moments I had in taking my hands off the reins...)

Would I do it again? NO!!!!, But I am sure glad it did it once...

From there we rode Canyonlands Park and then the Outlaw Trail ride...a summer I will
never forget.

Teddy

Nancy DuPont wrote:

> I have ridden down to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon on packer's mules.
> How did you bring your own horses?  Did you have guides?  I am very
> interested in doing it.  Have ridden from the North and South Rim but never
> the 11 miles across.
>

--
Teddy Lancaster
American Endurance Ride Conference # 139422
- Member since 1974
6000+ career miles

================================================
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

-- Winston Churchill
================================================

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